Former U.S. Marine and Rep. Michael Grimm says New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate for private sector employers is horrific and likely a move that will cripple small businesses if implemented.
“It’s horrific,” Grimm told Newsmax's “The Chris Salcedo Show” Monday.
“When you just look at the business community, they were decimated by COVID, and those that barely hung on, this could be the nail put in the coffin for them because they must have this robust season. Christmas is the time that the hospitality season, including restaurants, really make their money.
“If you’re going to start mandating 5, 6, 7-year-olds have their shot, a lot of parents don’t feel comfortable doing it. … This cripples our small businesses, and the Big Apple is already hurting from eight years of de Blasio’s poor policies,” he added.
De Blasio, in announcing the first-in-the-nation mandate Monday, said businesses have three weeks to make sure their workers get vaccinated.
“We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike to really do something bold to stop a further growth of COVID and the dangers it’s causing to all of us,” he said in an interview on MSNBC.
De Blasio also urged mayors, governors, and CEOs “all over the country” to use the vaccine mandates.
“The more universal they are, the more likely employees will say, ‘OK, it’s time, I’m going to do this,’ because you can’t jump from one industry to another or one company to another. It’s something that needs to be universal to protect all of us,” he said.
The policy is scheduled to go into effect in just 21 days, on Dec. 27.
Some elected officials trashed the mandate.
“Mayor de Blasio can’t leave fast enough. He has crushed small business, the economy and quality of life. How many more New Yorkers does he want to see move to the free state of Florida?” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.
“I’m hopeful the incoming mayor will roll back these arbitrary mandates,” added Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who is running for governor
“When you dangerously combine a far-left, lame-duck politician, who is anti-business, one-dimensional, unaccountable, not bright and has a perpetual ‘I always know best’ attitude, you get Bill de Blasio, the worst mayor in America,” he said. “There is no way this job-killing, small business-suppressing mandate is legal!”
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